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Daily industrial news and top headlines for plant and maintenance managers

The I-Mark I-Series dot-peen marking system from Columbia Marking Tools, Inc. comes with a marking head, a system controller, cables, and programming software. The x-y CNC movement for the marking head is provided by high-torque steeper motors that mark up to five (1/8”) characters per second.

The Jetstream 2400, a new product in Port-A-Cool ’s evaporative cooling line, features a 48-gallon water reservoir built into the one-piece leak- and rust-resistant housing for extended cooling without having to refill. The unit can cool a 2,000 square foot area and has a louver panel that allows concentrated spot cooling simultaneously to the left, right, up, and down.

Every manufacturer deals with shipments of nonconforming parts (also known as “part deviation”) from suppliers. Quality control systems simply do not eliminate nonconforming parts altogether. However, by better managing deviation and minimizing its impact, manufacturers can reduce costs, strengthen customer relationships, and build stronger ties with suppliers and partners.

The PulseCode Activator Switch from RMP Security, Inc. (Newport Beach, CA) is an access control system engineered with the distinctive E-Lock technology with application flexibility to engage or disengage electrical devices. The switch operates with a remote keypad without direct contact between the two, because the E-Lock technology uses an encrypted sequence of mechanical pulses transmitted through a solid surface.

The Bio-Remediation process from Bio-Circle (Windsor, CT) eliminates the need for toxic solvents when cleaning tools and parts, and also reduces the possibility any dangerous effluent to virtually zero. The Bio-Remediation process uses microscopic life forms to “digest” contaminations and convert them to clean H2O with negligible traces of CO2.

Industrial Press (New York, NY) has released the second edition of Benchmarking Best Practices , written by Terry Wireman. The book presents a logical, step-by-step methodology that will enable any company to conduct a cost-effective benchmarking effort. In addition, the book contains a benchmarking database from more than 100 companies and current maintenance/asset management philosophies.

GOJO Industries (Akron, OH) has launched its new PURELL Green Certified Instant Hand Sanitizer, the world’s first sanitizer to be certified by EcoLogo, according to the company. The PURELL sanitizer is made with 100 percent renewable ethanol in a biodegradable formula that kills 99.99 percent of the most common illness-causing germs.

The following video is a single shot from the documentary Manufactured Landscapes , which tries to examine the ways that manufacturing, especially its dirtier practices, have affected our environment. This shot attempts to showcase not only the size, but also the repetitive nature, of China's manufacturing base.

In mankind's efforts to make a robot for every animal, the snake has not gone unnoticed. Japanese researchers have created a new robot that can slither around on the ground almost like the real thing, thanks to motors in each section of the body that are in constant communication and collaboration. Even better, the robot can get tossed into a pool and gets around just as well.

China has recently overtaken Japan as the world's No. 2 economy, leaving many worried here in the U.S. about what the future holds. Based on the trend of outsourcing the last few decades, it stands to reason that China is aiming for America's top spot, which could open up even more floodgates for jobs to escape overseas.

The roles of programmer, machinist, and quality control engineer are rolled into one at this new-age manufacturing plant.
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Have any comments or questions about our Thursday video editions of IMPO Insider? Or do you have a video you'd like to see featured in one of our deployments? Email me at Joel.

The Emerging Technology Center at the 2010 IMTS has some big shoes to fill: none other than the Apollo 11 moon landing. Check out this teaser video to see what new technologies IMTS is bringing to the table, which include nanotechnology and more.
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The International Manufacturing Technology Show, which will be held at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL, on Sept. 13-18, 2010, is shaping up to be an interesting event. Douglas Woods, president of AMT, explains what makes IMTS different.
If you're having trouble watching this video, try downloading the latest version of Flash Player or contacting your IT department.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Cedar Rapids-based Rockwell Collins has been awarded a $140 million contact by the U.S. Air Force to develop a high performance system for testing military weapons.
The technology is called the Common Range Integrated Instrumentation System, or CRIIS.
The company says in a news release Tuesday that the system will give the military the ability to effectively test weapons systems so the next generation weapons can be deployed to the field more quickly.

ST. MARYS, Pa. (AP) — For years, it was the way breweries did business: sell bottles, then take back the empties. It just made sense, especially to folks weaned in the lean days of the Great Depression and World War II, that bottles should be scrubbed and refilled, not thrown away.
These days, in a culture where nearly everything is disposable, recycling is a rite and energy costs are high, the decision of whether to toss tradition into the trash heap lies with one brewery about 100 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.

SHANGHAI (AP) — General Motors Co. and Chinese partner SAIC announced Wednesday plans for joint development of fuel-efficient small engines and transmissions, focusing squarely on the fastest-growing part of China's huge auto market.
The companies, which run several joint ventures including their flagship Shanghai GM, will develop a 1 liter to 1.

SHENZHEN, China (AP) — Young workers who normally spend their days assembling iPhones and other high-tech gadgets packed a stadium at their massive campus Wednesday, waving pompoms and shouting slogans at a rally to raise morale following a string of suicides at the company's heavily regimented factories.

OMAHA, Nebraska (AP) — Deere & Co. said Wednesday its third-quarter profit grew 47 percent because American and Canadian farmers bought enough of the company's large equipment to offset a sharp downturn in Europe, but Deere kept its forecast for the year conservative.
The company reported $617 million net income, or $1.

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) — A union official at the Navistar International plant in Fort Wayne says the company has told workers it plans to phase out its operations in that city within three years.
United Auto Workers Local 2911 President Tom Burkholder says workers got that message Tuesday but it could be a negotiating stategy.